We sifted through the latest diet books to find the freshest, most helpful insights about eating well.

By Corrie Pikul

Photo: Courtesy of HarperCollins

NEXT

SLIDESHOW

6 of 6

Find the Foolproof Way to Decide if a Weight-Loss Plan Is Right for You

Think long term—as in, eternity."The 18th-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant proposed a helpful theory for thinking about moral issues: We can tell whether an action is good or bad if it makes sense for everyone to do it all the time. For example, is it okay to lie? No, because if everyone always lied society would fall apart. His logic is ever more useful in the fat-loss and health field. We do not want to lose body fat now only to gain it back later. For instance, the American Journal of Physiology reported that as soon as rats stopped eating less, they gained weight 20 times faster than normal. Before trying any diet or exercise program, ask yourself, 'Can I do this forever?' If the answer is yes, do it. If the answer is no, skip it."